Credit: Adobe
Careers
These are the annoying co-worker behaviours that make us avoid going into the office
By Ellen Scott
1 year ago
2 min read
Some of us are finding our colleagues so deeply irritating that we’re avoiding going into the office entirely. But which behaviours annoy us the most?
Have you ever noticed that you get so much less work done when you’re in the office? The distracting background chatter, the constant interruptions, the pointless meetings where you can’t get away with typing as you listen… it all seems to conspire against you and stops you from getting on with your tasks. And that’s if you have predominantly well-behaved, well-intentioned colleagues who don’t send your blood pressure rocketing. Once you add in irritating co-workers, the office becomes the last place you want to be.
No wonder, then, that research from Indeed has found that more than a fifth of workers are deciding to work from home just to avoid sitting among their irritating co-workers. Indeed points to reduced tolerance for workplace irritation, noting that the pandemic and all that time working from home has made us more sensitive to the tribulations of being in the office.
But which behaviours drive us most around the bend? Is it the loud typing, the messy desks, the microwaved fish?
The research found that it’s actually gossiping (annoying 34% of workers surveyed) that tops our irritation list, followed by swearing, flirting and oversharing. One in five of those surveyed reported hearing too much information from their co-workers every day they were in the office.
Credit: Getty
Of course, your colleagues can make you prickle even when you’re not in the same physical space. Remote working faux pas mentioned in the survey included not responding to messages and emails, vaping or smoking on video calls and forgetting to mute or unmute. More than one in 10 employees experience the pain of digital micromanaging, with their co-workers monitoring when they’re online.
And regardless of being in the office, colleagues taking credit for our work irks 46% of us, while being talked over was listed as a major annoyance for 36% of those surveyed.
Danny Stacy, UK head of talent intelligence at Indeed, said: “Our data underlines the changing workplace behaviours over time, influenced by the huge shift caused by the pandemic with more employees working remotely. There are always going to be colleagues with habits that frustrate us and some behaviours that are simply unacceptable in the workplace. But what’s important for employers is to create moments of connection for employees, no matter where they’re based, to maintain relationships and ensure environments where everyone can do their best work.
“According to our research, over half (55%) of workers say being able to behave informally (within reason) at work makes them enjoy their job more, while 41% agree that experiencing behaviour that’s informal but still professional in an interview would make them more likely to take a job. For employers, it’s about striking that balance between employees feeling like they can be themselves, while maintaining a professional working environment where all colleagues feel comfortable.”
Images: Adobe; Getty
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